Championship play-off final

Zamora strikes gold for Hammers

Seldom can the value of a single goal be calculated. About Bobby Zamora's yesterday, though, there could be little doubt.

The striker, who was set for a move to Crystal Palace four months ago, scored what is reputedly the most valuable goal in world football. With it West Ham regained their Premiership status and an estimated £30m share of that league's riches.

Two years' absence from the top flight meant the club were days away from the expiry of their £7.2m-a-season parachute payments. The sighs of relief will surely have been heard as far off as the home of their bank manager at Barclays, whom the east London club owed £33m at the start of this season.

West Ham's manager Alan Pardew confirmed after the match that ancillary staff would have faced further redundancies and that Matthew Etherington would have been sacri- ficed to ensure the running costs of another Championship season were met.

There had even been whispers before kick-off, emanating from the consortium fronted by Tony Cottee that is reportedly discussing a takeover bid for West Ham, that defeat would lead to an Upton Park board announcement about the club's direction. The way the team played, from the very outset, rendered such rumours redundant.

After defeat by Palace at this stage last season West Ham were better prepared than Preston and, despite the relative youth of players such as Elliott Ward, Marlon Harewood and Anton Ferdinand, seemed more at ease with the pressure of a 70,000 crowd.

It took only four minutes for West Ham to hit Preston's woodwork. Shaun Newton spotted Tomas Repka's sprint down the right wing and played a defence-splitting pass for the Czech, whose well-struck shot rattled the post.

West Ham sustained the momentum, Harewood glancing on a clearance from Jimmy Walker for Zamora, who fed Etherington. The winger took it into Carlo Nash's area and forced a fine save.

With the London side defending well in numbers, Preston created next to nothing from open play but their threat lay in well-worked set-plays. West Ham wobbled when free-kicks and corners found their way into their box: had Chris Lucketti's header from Eddie Lewis's corner been delivered with more force, Walker might have been hard pushed to stop it.

Yet the match was suffering from pressure; only after half-time did it begin to open up. Another Preston set piece, again delivered from the corner flag by Lewis, found Richard Cresswell but his effort was headed from the line by Newton.

West Ham hit back in an instant. Newton found Harewood unmarked and 25 yards out, his shot parried by Nash. Zamora had ample time and space to score from the rebound but snatched at his shot, allowing Youl Mawene to clear from the line; yet that went only as far as Harewood, who was again denied by Nash.

His side had to wait only another five minutes to break through. With a looping ball, Zamora put Etherington down the left wing. His pace took him past Mawene and, as Claude Davis slipped, his cross allowed Zamora to hook in his fourth goal in three play-off games.

The 20-year-old David Nugent, who had seemed overwhelmed by the occasion, almost made his mark with a mazy run that beat four West Ham defenders, though his shot found only Walker's arms.

Preston's manager Billy Davies sought support for his tyro and introduced Patrick Agyemang to play with three strikers. Pardew responded by taking off Zamora, replacing him with Christian Dailly in a holding midfield role.

It says much for the manager's selflessness that he risked yet more vilification from fans who continue to doubt him with such a bold substitution. Pardew justified it by claiming that Zamora, a West Ham fan himself, is racked by expectation to the extent that his calves cramp in big matches, yet the intention must surely have been to flood his midfield.

It worked and the only remaining drama came when Walker sprinted out to claim a high ball. His momentum carried him and the ball out of the area and he twisted his knee on landing. Stephen Bywater replaced him and his first task was to defend the free-kick his fellow keeper had conceded, but Graham Alexander's shot was easily saved.

Seven minutes' injury-time was played out without event. "Fortune's always hiding," sang West Ham's fans. Fortunately for their club, it has been found again.